Who is Ryan Serhant? 'Owning Manhattan' star's hands helped him through tough times
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Ryan Serhant, the real estate tycoon, just signed a new contract for his own show. In 'Owning Manhattan', the well-known CEO of SERHANT brokerage will take center stage and provide an intimate glimpse into the world of high-stakes New York City real estate.
The eight episodes of the reality series, which premieres on June 28, will follow Ryan and his elite team of agents as they battle it out for the most coveted luxury listings in the city. This crew will stop at nothing to become the greatest in the world; therefore, other brokerages had better look out for them.
"To sell real estate in Manhattan, you have to be cut from from a very special, sometimes crazy cloth," Ryan tells Tudum.
"Manhattan is an island with trillions of dollars of real estate and private wealth. Literally, the only way to branch out is to leave the island. It's like Survivor. Having an inside look into that is an inherently interesting to watch because selling real estate in New York is unlike anywhere else in the world."
'Owning Manhattan' star Ryan Serhant moved to NYC to try out acting
Before joining SERHANT, Ryan worked as a flyer for Equinox on 63rd and Lexington, a bit role on 'As the World Turns', and a hand model for AT&T. Texas was his birthplace and he was raised in Boston and attended college in upstate New York.
Ryan double majored in theater and English language at Hamilton. He was aware that he had always wanted to try acting.
"So I thought, You know what? I’ve got some construction job money saved up. I’m going to go to New York and give it my best shot, and see if I can make a living as an actor. And that’s what I did," Ryan said to Curbed.
'Owning Manhattan' star Ryan Serhant spent NYC days living in 1-bedroom apartment with two other roommates
Ryan moved into a one-bedroom apartment across from a Dunkin' Donuts on East 66th Street during the summer of 2006. He knew his two roommates from college who were both paralegals working for large corporate law firms, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, and the District Attorney.
Their one-bedroom apartment's actual bedroom was paid for by their roommate, who had a legitimate job and the apartment cost $3,600 a month.
'Owning Manhattan' star Ryan Serhant did hand modeling for AT&T at $150
Ryan didn't want to work as a waiter or bartender, so he set himself two years to go without a job. He was aware that ten or twenty years would pass before he realized that his original plan A had become his backup plan.
"So I put myself in a tricky financial position and had to make it work," Ryan said.
So Ryan auditioned all day long. He auditioned for Actors' Equity, the theater union, every day.
Ryan would go to Times Square at 6 am and stand there waiting to be seen. Ryan's roommates were both up at 6 am and had to be in the office by seven.
Ryan took odd acting gigs for income while performing in regional and free theater. He began doing hand modeling for AT&T, earning $150 per hour.
One of Ryan's final performances, a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe at the Daryl Roth Union Square Theatre, made him think, "I might need to get a job now, was at the Daryl Roth Union Square Theatre that was a reimagination of Edgar Allan Poe. My friends came and saw me, and they were like, dude, because I played a clock. My hands were the arms of the clock."
What is 'Owning Manhattan' star Ryan Serhant's net worth?
When Ryan completely ran out of money in the summer of 2008, a buddy advised him saying, "Don’t move home, get your real estate license." On the same day that Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, he obtained his real estate license.
But his main objective was to earn $2,000 a month so he could pay his rent, not to become a real estate broker.
The 39-year-old, who was born on July 2, 1984, has gained notoriety throughout the years. 'Million Dollar Listing New York' on Bravo is the show for which he is most well-known, having thrown him into the national limelight as one of the greatest real estate salespeople.
Celebrity Net Worth estimates that his net worth is $40 million as of 2024.
Ryan began working at Nest Seekers International as an Associate Broker in 2008 and remained there for over 12 years before rising to the top of the New York City brokerage scene, according to his LinkedIn profile.
When Ryan was cast in Bravo's 'Million Dollar Listing New York' in 2012, his career took a significant turn for the better. He also started a brokerage company called Sehant Team, which employed over 60 people in the Hamptons, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Miami, and New York City.
Ryan founded the real estate company SERHANT in 2020. Since then, it has grown to include agents in seven states and employees in 19 states. According to The Real Deal's ranking of the Top Residential Brokerages for 2022, the business came in at number six.
Ryan's career has been marked by a number of accomplishments, including closing over $8 billion in sales and being ranked among the best real estate salespeople in the country.
'Owning Manhattan' star Ryan Serhant is writer of chart-topping educational books for real estate
Beyond 'Million Dollar Listing New York', Ryan has a long history in television. He has made appearances in a number of other programs, such as 'Sell It Like Serhant', where he assisted in the skill-building of underperforming salespeople.
Ryan is not just a popular TV personality but also a great writer. He has authored two best-selling books that reveal ideas and tactics from his career: 'Big Money Energy: How to Rule at Work, Dominate at Life, and Make Millions' and 'Sell It Like Serhant: How to Sell More and Become the Ultimate Sales Machine'.
Ryan's publications have received recognition for their inspirational nature and useful counsel. 'Sell it Like Serhant' shot to the top of the book lists of the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times.
Who is 'Owning Manhattan' star Ryan Serhant married to?
Ryan is wed to Emilia Bechrakis, a fellow TV personality and attorney. The pair were married in 2016 and welcomed a daughter, Zena, into their family in 2019.
'Owning Manhattan' premieres on Netflix on June 28